SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE
ARTS

Photo Shop: Art in the Age of the Influencer

Museums in China increasingly rely on social media to bring in visitors, but there is a cost to going viral

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE
GALLERY

Zhao Xiaoli Blurs the Line Between Online Influencer and Artist

With millions of followers, Zhao Xiaoli is China’s most popular artist on Douyin—so why do art critics not rate her work?

TRADITIONAL CULTURE

Old Fashioned

The elderly livestreamers making a splash in a youth-focused online world

ARTS

China’s Vertical Future

A surge in “portrait mode” dramas is redefining how video platforms present their content

NEWS

Viral Week Ep. 196

Crime boss moonlights on Douyin, “Avengers” moves fan to tears, courier harasses customer, and a whistleblower is blacklisted—it’s Viral Week

SOCIETY

When Vagrants Go Viral

Chinese social media has a habit of making homeless individuals “famous”—with unintended consequences

ARTS

TWOC TV Ep. 18: Life of Fame

Three rags-to-riches Douyin celebrities share their unlikely road to fame

TECHNOLOGY

Tech Thursday: A Tale of Tik Tok

The Chinese roots of the global social media craze

ENTERTAINMENT

Secondhand Fame

The life of a celebrity lookalike in China may be lucrative, but impersonation can come at a cost

NEWS

Fantastic Beasts (and Where to Buy Them)

Exotic and endangered animals are being traded online in China, in spite of numerous regulations, owner arrests, and deaths